The Dragon, The Rider, and The Slayer
by WingedBlueWolf
Summary: Lucy has a strange dream where a woman comes and invites her to a school to learn how to ride and bond to a dragon. She must leave for four years to learn new magic and the art of fighting, and when she comes back, she brings her two friends and their dragons. New enimies are coming, and new battles are fought. Can Fairy Tail survive another war? NaLu.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Readers! This is my first Fairy Tail FF so please no flames. I do realize that the first chapter moves quickly, but I wanted the beginning to be fast so I could get to the good parts later on. Also, I suck at writing first chapters, so bare with me here. I hope you enjoy my story, and please R&R. It gives me some encouragement and lets me know my story isn't total crap. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Fairy tail in any way. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

**Now, on with the story!**

Chapter 1- Strange Dreams

It had all started out as a regular day at Fairy Tail, well as normal as Fairy Tail could be. I was sitting at my usual seat at the bar, while talking to Levy-Chan about a new book she had found. Well, she was talking and I was pretending to listen, not really catching anything she was animatedly talking about. I was getting the beginning of a killer headache, and all the noise was so _not_ helping. I allowed my head to flop down onto the counter of the bar with a thunk, and Levy seemed to notice my pained expression. She paused in her ramble about her book, and looked at me with a worried expression visible on her face.

"Lu-Chan are you ok? You look kinda pale." She softly said. I looked at her and gave a weak smile. I could always count on my family at fairy tail to notice anything wrong with me. "I'm fine, I just have a headache. All I need is some sleep, and then I'll be fine," I mumbled. The white haired model, Mira, having heard our conversation walked around the bar where she had been previously drying glasses, and sat down beside me.

"If you're not feeling well, you should go home and rest." She said quietly. Mira smiled a breathtaking bright smile and handed me a glass of cool water. I nodded and smiled gratefully at her concern. I got up slowly to keep my pounding head from getting worse after downing the cool liquid.

I trudged to the door, all the furniture flying through the air from Natsu and Gray's fighting somehow miraculously missing me. Fire and ice flew around the room, but I hardly could bring myself to scold the pair for destroying the guild. I walked out the doors of Fairy Tail, and walked in the direction of my small apartment. I didn't even bother walking on the ledge of the canal like I would usually do, in this condition I'd probably just fall in. As soon as I got in my apartment, I made it three steps into my house before my vision began to swim. Black spots danced infront of my eyes and I collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in strange clothes that were made of leather, and I seemed to be sitting in a forest somewhere. _I must be dreaming._ I thought. The trees were green and tall, they towered above my head making me feel smaller than I had ever in my life. Sun shone through the holes in the canopy of leaves above me, and the light danced to some unheard music. The place practically radiated magic.

A twig snapped off to my left, and my head whipped in that direction, my hands were already reaching for the keys strapped to my belt. A shadowed figure came into view, only its silhouette was visible. As it neared, I realized it was a woman. She was wearing a cloak with the hood down, and she was wearing tight leather clothes. She had on knee-high hiking boots that laced up and were tied neatly in a bow at the top. She looked to be in her mid twenties, with chocolate hair and golden eyes that gave her an animalistic appearance.

"Calm down, calm down, there is no need to call out your spirits." I realized that the mystery woman was talking to me. The woman's voice was smooth and soothing, and she seemed to have a playful glint in her eyes.

"W-who are you? Why am I here?" I cursed myself for stuttering and my fear of the woman. Really, without Natsu here to protect me, to put it lightly, I was screwed. I had no choice but to hold my ground and push away my fear. Where was Natsu when you need him? She laughed, her voice sounding like a teenagers. "My name is Eva. I am the leader and co teacher of a dragon rider academy. You have the potential to become a rider, so I called you here." Eva said with a smile on her face. _She must be crazy. Everyone knows the dragons disappeared on year X777. _I thought.

"Yes they have vanished in this dimension, but in our world, they are still very much alive."I was stunned. _I didn't say anything out loud! _Eva smiled again and said, "No you didn't speak aloud, I have the power to read minds, so it is hard to keep any information from me. That particular skill is helpful when running a magic school filled with powerful mages and their dragons." I nodded slowly, absorbing this new piece of information.

"So dragons are alive in this alternate dimension? What makes me so special?" I asked, curious about the answer.

"Yes, it is possible to form a connection to a dragon, and be able to ride it. Only Celestial mages with a pure soul can bond to a dragon, which is why there are so few celestial mages in your world." Eva explained.

"How do I know you're telling the truth, and that I'm not just going insane?"

"I thought you might ask that. Would you like to meet my friend, Night?" Eva asked. _Night…?_ The woman laughed, apparently having heard my thoughts. This mind reading thing was getting annoying. She was still for a second, before nodding slightly. I was curious what caused her to nod, but I remained silent.

The gentle breeze turned into a gale that buffeted me around, but Eva looked totally unaffected. A dark shape landed on the forest floor, hitting the ground so hard that dirt and small rocks flew outwards upon its impact. The dirt cleared and I got a better view of the shape that had landed in front of me. I sucked a breath in quickly as I saw that the dark shape was actually a black dragon with glowing yellow eyes. It had spikes along its head, and down its spine all the way to the tip of its tail. A long slender neck was connected to broad shoulders that rippled with muscle, and two leathery wings were folded on its sides. It was only a little bigger than a horse, but it had a terrifying beauty to it. I looked at its posture and realized that it stood in a defensive position in front of Eva; one shimmering eye was watching me closely.

I stumbled backwards and tripped on a root, landing with a thump on the ground.

"W-wow," Was my intelligent response. Note the sarcasm. Eva chuckled softly and spoke for the first time since the dragon landed. "Stand down, Night. We mustn't scare the girl too bad, we want people to like us. Be nice." Eva reprimanded the great dragon. Night seemed like a fitting name for the pitch black dragon in front of me. 'I'm sorry for startling you, young mage. Forgive me, but I just had to make sure you had the courage to face me, even when I was staring you down. Welcome to our realm, Lucy. My name is Night, Eva's soul partner, and head dragon trainer.' A deep, rumbling voice echoed in my mind. My head swiveled to stare at the black dragon. _He...talks?_ I thought.

"Dragons here in this world can't speak, so they communicate telepathically with its partner and those around it." Eva explained with excitement clear in her voice.

"So it's possible for me to have a dragon as a partner?" I asked.

"First, you must choose to join us at the academy. Then I will answer all of your questions. I will give you one day to decide to come or not. The training and your dragon partner will make you stronger, but you will have to stay with us to train for four years before you can return." She pulled out a strange key that looked suspiciously like it was made of diamonds. Eva grabbed my hand and placed the sparkling key in it.

'Think hard about this, and we will have hope of seeing you soon. The key will disappear in a week if you choose not to join us. Now you must go from this place, I sense you are stirring.' Night said.

"Oh, and by the way, sorry about the migraine. It only happens to some unlucky people when you communicate through dreams, and I guess you're one of them. Good luck, and to use the key all you have to do is call out: Open, Doorway of the Worlds!" Eva yelled out. I barely had time to hear what Eva had yelled before I could feel myself being pulled out of the dream, and back into my room where I woke up in my bed. Wait… my bed?

I could have sworn I passed out on the floor. That dream felt so real, but there's no way that could happen. I was about to get up when I realized that there was something cool and smooth it was grasping. I looked down and saw a familiar sparkling key in my hand. Its surface was smooth and cool, and it sent rainbows dancing around the room. It looked like it was crafted out of a diamond; it was translucent, and had a blue square symbol on its handle.

I was so surprised to see the key that I let out a shriek and fell off the bed with a thump. What surprised me more was that shortly after falling off the bed, Natsu ran in my room with half a piece of burnt toast in his mouth.

"uuce are ue oaa?" (Luce are you ok?) He asked. It took me a moment to understand him, but I finally understood that he asked me if I was ok. Wow, I am really slow today. I blame it on the headache Eva and Night caused.

"I-I'm fine. It was just a bad dream." I said with a small blush rising to my cheeks. I hated to admit it, but I had a small crush on the fire mage. He would never know though, he was so dense sometimes! Natsu most likely didn't even know what love was.

He nodded, but shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. The pink haired mage held out a hand to help me up, and I gladly took it. His large, calloused hand held mine tightly as he pulled me up from the floor, and his warm hand sending tingles up my arm. I realized that he was still holding on to my hand, and I awkwardly let go. I thought I saw a look of disappointment flash through his facial features, but I probably imagined it.

"Thanks, Natsu!" I said happily, my dream forgotten for the moment. I shoved the key roughly in my pocket and brushed myself off. I looked up and saw he was gazing at me with an intensity only seen in battle. I was captivated by his onyx eyes, and found that I couldn't look away.

"Luuucy! You're out of fish!" The blue exceed whined as he flew in the room natsu and I were in. happy seemed to take in the situation in a matter of seconds and then said, "You liiiiiike each other." He rolled his tong on the word 'like' to emphasize it.

"We do not!" Natsu and I said in unison. He shot me another look that I pretended not to see.

"Happy, what do you mean I have no fish left? I went to the store yesterday!" I started yelling the last part. I swear, if they ate all my food _again_, I am going to explode. Or die of starvation. Maybe both.

"Naaatsu! Lucy is scary! Make her stop!" Happy cried, and then flew behind Natsu's head to hide. I huffed, and stomped out to go survey the damage in the kitchen.

Natsu's P.O.V

I was worried about Lucy. When she had left the guild suddenly, everyone had been worried for her. Mira had said that it was just a headache, but we were still concerned. I had decided to go check on her at her apartment, but when I jumped in through the window I saw her passed out on the floor.

"Oi, Lucy wake up!" I ran over and began to violently shake her, but I quickly found that it did more harm than good. I couldn't just leave her on the floor, so I decided to put her on the bed.

"Happy can you help me get Lucy in her bed?" I asked my partner. He nodded, and flew Lucy into her room. I followed Happy, and helped him get Lucy comfortably lying on her bed. I sat and watched her to make sure she was ok because I couldn't stand to see a nakama in this condition.

Happy went immediately to the kitchen eat Lucy's fish store. I sat and watched her peaceful expression while she slept. Her soft golden hair shoe in the light that came through the window and her pale porcelain skin seemed to make her look more angelic-like. _Wait, stop Natsu! She is a nakama, and nothing else… Or is she?_

I heard her heartbeat speed up, and she winced in her sleep. Then she started mumbling.

"Not…Possible….Night….Key" Her brows were furrowed in a look of concentration, and she kept mumbling incoherent words that were lost, even to my sensitive ears. She eventually calmed down, but my stomach decided to make its presence known at that moment. A loud growl echoed through the room, and all thoughts were replaced by hunger. I decided that Luce could survive long enough for me to raid her kitchen. I couldn't let happy have all the food to himself.

Happy and I plowed through her fully stocked cabinets until our pig-out was interrupted by a scream and thump. Happy ignored the noise, so I went to make sure Lucy was ok. I stuffed a piece of toast in my mouth, and ran in her room. I found Lucy lying on the floor in a heap, clucking something sparkly in her hand.

I tried to ask her if she was ok, but it's hard to talk with a piece of toast stuffed in your mouth.

"I-I'm fine. It was just a bad dream." She said. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, but it vanished so fast that I must have imagined it. I nodded at her answer, and held out my hand for her. She took it and I felt tingles spread out from her small soft hand down my arm. I didn't want to let go of her hand, but she pulled hers away. I was disappointed, but I tried not to show it.

"Thanks Natsu!" She said happily. I saw her roughly shove the shiny object she had been holding earlier, in her pocket. I watched her intently to make sure that she wasn't going to pass out again, and when she looked up, she met my eye and I saw a slight pink tint spread on her cheeks. Her chocolate eyes were warm and welcoming, and she looked so fragile so… delicate.

"Luuucy! You're out of fish!" Happy whined as he flew into the room. He seemed to take in our situation, and he started grinning like a Cheshire cat. "You liiiiiike each other." Happy called.

"We do not!" we said at the same time. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. For some reason, my stomach seemed to drop when she said those words. I blame it all on being hungry.

Then she seemed to realize something. "Happy, what do you mean I have no fish left? I went to the store yesterday!" not waiting for an answer, she hurried out of her bedroom in the direction of her kitchen. If I knew her well, which I did, we were so dead. Lucy could be as scary as Erza sometimes. I shuddered as remembered Lucy's rage that was no doubt going to be unleashed upon us at any second.

Lucy's P.O.V

"Oi Luce, I'm bored! Let's go on a mission!" Natsu begged. My rent was coming up, and I didn't have enough money thanks to a certain annoying fire mage (Natsu) eating ALL my food. Again.

"We found the perfect mission to pay for the food we ate yesterday, and even your rent! All we have to do is catch some thieves." He continued to bug me until I finally gave in.

"ALRIGHT!" I yelled in order to shut Natsu up. He smiled a toothy grin that exposed his sharp canines. "Alright Lets go!" He said happily. I nodded and went home to pack.

* * *

The mission ended up with natsu having to save me repeatedly. I hated relying on him to protect me, and I wanted to be able to help out. We still got the reward, and Natsu happily gave it to me even though I did nothing. That made me feel even more guilty.

I pulled out the key Eva gave to me, and made a decision. I would go to the other world to train and get stronger. I wouldn't be a burden to my friends after my training. I would leave tomorrow morning after talking to master.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all you readers out there! I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who read my first chapter! I wanted this story to be unique, so I thought up this plot line, and I want to know how all of you like it so far! I won't make you guys review a certain number of times for me to post a new chapter, but I would like to know how you like it so far. Your reviews inspire me to write more, and they make my crappy days exponentially better! I wanted to go ahead and put this chapter out, and I hope you like it! Without further ado- Chapter 2!**

Chapter 2- New Knowledge

Lucy's P.O.V-

I threw random clothes into my suitcase in preparation to go to train with Eva at the academy. I had no idea of what to expect, so I threw most everything into the one suitcase. I had Virgo help me pack and she somehow managed to fit all my stuff into the suitcase. Don't ask me how it all fit in there, because I truthfully have no idea. I dismissed the pink haired spirit after she had asked for punishment, and I took the note I had written the previous night and put it in the pocket of my jacket I had decided to wear. With one last look to make sure that I had everything packed and ready for my departure.

I still had to talk to the master, so I left my stuff waiting in my room for when I came back. I looked over at my unfinished novel, and decided to take it with me so I could work on it in my free time. I picked up my keys and walked along the canal to the guild.

It was still early in the morning, the sun had yet to fully rise, and no one would be there yet except Mira and Master. I walked in the doors of the guild and luckily saw no Mira. I then went straight to the Masters office to talk to him. As I walked in I found the master sitting at his desk, and was flipping through a magazine filled with what looked suspiciously like nude women. He jumped slightly when I closed the door, and then roughly shoved the magazine in a random drawer of his desk. I decided it was better not to ask.

"Child, what do you need? Why are you here so early?" Master Makarov asked. I walked up nervously to stand in front of his desk. I was fiddling with the hem of my skirt.

"I would like to leave the guild for a while to train, and get stronger." I stated bluntly. I figured I had to leave quickly, and it was no use beating around the bush. He looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Why must you leave? You are one of the most powerful Celestial mages I know!" he said still confused. I was pretty sure I was one of the only Celestial mages the old perv knew, and I was also one of the few left in existence.

"I feel like I'm holding the others back, and I hate needing to have the others protect me in the midst battle." I explained. After the Grand Magic Games and my horrible defeat, I felt like I was holding the guild back. My friends didn't blame me for our second place, but I still blamed myself. If I hadn't lost against Flare (even though she only won because someone in her guild cut off all my energy for the final blow), we would have done better. Fairy Tail had celebrated and partied after our placing, and they had all been happy to have done so well in the tournament.

"How long will you be gone on this training mission?" he asked again. I took a deep breath and answered, "Four years." The Master gaped at me like a fish. I was sad to be leaving the guild, but I desperately wanted to be stronger. I looked master Makarov in the eye and said, "I promise to be back in four years." I handed him the note I had written earlier. "Please read this out to the guild for me."

The short man regained his voice and said, "I wish you the best of luck in your journey, you brat. Make your guild proud, and don't destroy too much." He said with a tear in his eye. I nodded even though I was never the one to destroy things, and before I could turn around, the master held his hand in the air with the index finger and thumb out; the sign that Fairy Tail is with you. I did the same motion with my hand, and then turned my back to Master. Tears were silently streaming down my face as I made my way to the big doors of the old guild we had been to reclaim with the money from our winnings at the Grand Magic Games.

I was going to miss this place badly, but I promised Master hat I would come back, and a Stellar mage never breaks a promise once one's been made. I turned my back on the guild that had been my home for the past two years not counting the time skip on Tenroujima Island.

I walked home quickly trying my hardest not to give up and run back to the guild and just tell master I was kidding. _I'm doing this for the guild…. For the guild….. It's for the guild. _I chanted over and over in my head.

I walked into my home and grabbed my suitcase that was waiting for me in the middle of my bedroom. I silently looked around the room and memorized it with my eyes. They swept over the room taking in every detail of every object. I stifled a sob that clawed up my throat as I remembered all the fond memories I had of this place. I turned quickly and rubbed angrily at the traterous tears that made me feel so weak. I knew if I didn't leave soon though that I would jump up and run back to the guild to tell them that it was all just a joke.I pulled off the sparkling key I had been saving, off the key ring on my belt, and prepared myself to go.

"Open, Doorway of the Worlds!" I commanded. A blinding yellow light illuminated the whole room for a few seconds, and when it died down, I saw a grand golden door floating in mid air. I slowly walked forward mesmerized by the beautiful craftsmanship and effort put into making such a grand door. My hand grasped the doorknob, and I slowly opened the door with my suitcase in hand.

As my eyes adjusted to the lighting of the place I stepped into, I looked around at my surroundings. I seemed to be in a library of sorts. Around the room were bookshelves that stretched up to the high ceiling, and each was jam-packed with books of all sizes. The floors were a polished marble that made the room look almost like a ballroom. My eyes locked onto movement in the corner of the room. Sitting at a desk flipping through a book was a familiar brown haired woman.

"Eva?" I asked uncertainly. She looked up from her book and as her eyes fell on my face she jumped up and did something I was not expecting from a trainer at a dragon training academy. She squealed, and threw her arms around me in a tight hug. She looked me in the eyes and happily said, "You came! I wasn't expecting you to decide so soon!" All I could do was nod my head because she was cutting off my air supply. For a small person, she sure was strong. Not like Natsu strong, but still strong enough to pack a killer punch. _Natsu….. I'm going to miss him the most of all my friends._ I thought. Eva gave no sign of hearing my thoughts, so I smiled brightly and hugged her back.

When she finally let go, I was turning slightly blue in the face from being crushed for so long. "Well let's go! I have so much to show you and tell you!" Eva beamed. She turned on her heel and walked towards a huge doorway. She looked back at me and paused to make sure I was following, and then practically ran out the door in her excitement. Eva's personality didn't match her appearance at all. She looked like she could beat Erza in a stare down any day, but her personality was completely opposite.

We took the grand tour of the academy and its grounds, and let me tell you, it was as big as my old mansion! It had a large garden, and a forest that surrounded half of the academy. I learned that the academy was separated from the town because of the dragons and the magic that got out of hand every now and then. I also found out that the towns people were all descendants of the first dragon riders that had discovered this world. The population was over 10 million people in the one town, and more people spread out and formed small towns scattered across the map.

Eva was the master of magics called Energy Bending, Celestial magic, and Requip magic. We would become her apprentices until we had learned as much from her as possible. Eva Tried to explain the basics of the information I would need to know later in my training. She explained that there were thousands more keys than just the silver and Zodiac, and that there were very powerful spirits out there-much more powerful than even Loki. She also told me that the dragons you would form a bond with gave you strength and more magic power, as well as a more dragon-like appearance. A rider and dragon shared a soul, and would therefore inherit some of the others personality. If one died, the other would follow shortly because you can't live with half a soul.

I took all this information in slowly. I was stunned by how little I knew about my spirits and of dragons, and all the information was sending my brain into overdrive. After the tour of the grounds and castle-like school, Eva told me where I could find a hotel to stay at for the night. She gave me the directions, and then told me to wear my most durable clothes tomorrow because we would be going into the dragon territory. I had no idea how the whole dragon thing went, but if you asked me' it sounded too good to be true. It seemed too easy, and nothing was ever easy or simple in my life. As I walked down a large road filled with people, I got a sense of foreboding about tomorrow.

I looked up at a small hotel I would be residing in, I saw other people talking and laughing with one another. This place was just like Magnolia, but a lot bigger. From what I had heard, this was only the outskirts of the town, and the downtown was much larger than Magnolia. Of course, I had only heard this from passersby, so it might not be true.

I looked around and realized that I was completely alone in a new place. It was just like when I ran away from my father's house all those years ago. While I was lost in thought and staring outside the small building, a purple haired girl bumped into me. We both fell on the ground with a thump. She had bright blue eyes and tan skin. She stood up quickly and streached out a hand to help me to my feet.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! Are you ok?" She asked sincerely. I just waved her off and replied, "I'm fine, no worries. Are you lost?" She nodded shyly and looked down at a piece of paper that looked to be a map of some sort. I looked at the map and saw that it was upside down. Maybe I could help her get to the place she was looking for-I could use some friends in this new place. I reached over and slowly flipped the map to face the right way. The girl blushed and looked at me thankfully.

The purple haired girl gazed closely at the map and then began to mumble.

"Where to go… Stupid confusing directions… Outskirts Hotel…" I looked up at her, surprised. She was looking for the same hotel that I was staying at! I looked at her scrunched up face and decided to give the poor, confused girl a hand.

"Is that the place you were looking for?" I asked her pointing to the hotel I had been about to go in. She looked over at the building and her eyes widened.

"Yes that's it, thank you very much!" She smiled and hurried off into the doors that led into the building.

"By the way, my name's Lucy!" I smiled at her as I walked beside her.

"Chloe, my name is Chloe! Nice to meet you neighbor!" she called back as she say me walk into a room next to hers. I smiled to myself happy, and proud to have made a friend in this world. I looked over to the room on my left and saw a different girl walking in to it. She had wavy, long, dirty blond hair with pink streaks in it. She looked over at me and smiled and waved. I waved back and then walked into my room, scared about what the room's condition would be in. I imagined rats and bugs running across the floor and filthy furniture. Of course, this was just my overactive imagination, but the fear still remained.

Nothing however, could be worse than Natsu's house. That had been made painfully obvious when I had cleaned that filth hole for him. I shivered in disgust at the memory, and pushed through the metal door that led into my room. It looked similar to my apartment, but with green curtains and a single bed at the corner of the room. The kitchen was pitifully small with only enough space for one person to be in at once. I could survive here for one day. At least this arrangement wasn't permanent.

I unpacked my things and got ready to sleep. It had been a long day and I needed my rest for tomorrow. I still couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness I had felt this morning. There had to be a catch to this whole situation, I could just feel it.

I took a relaxing hot bath in the bathroom and then put on some comfy pajamas. I climbed into the small bed with thoughts about tomorrow swarming my head.

Natsu's P.O.V

I was walking to the guild slowly with happy flying ahead of me. Something felt off about today, it almost felt like something would go wrong. I had been getting that same feeling since the mission I had gone on with Luce. She had seemed to be deep in thought the whole walk back (I refused to ride that damned train). I just shrugged it off as nothing important and caught up with happy. The only thing that mattered was that I would get to see Luce today, and fight with the walking Popsicle, A.K.A Gray. I burst through the guild doors like I normally did, and walked over to Mira for breakfast.

She handed me some flaming bacon, eggs and waffles. Fire could make any food taste better. Master walked down the stairs holding a piece of paper in his hand. I noticed that it was shaking slightly and he smelled like salty tears. I saw no reason for the master to get upset over anything besides the bills from the Magic Council, so I went back to my breakfast.

"Listen up, brats!" Master said while standing on the bar, "I have some important news to share with you." He continued. He looked out at the faces of the guild and looked down at the folded piece of paper he was holding with a sad expression.

Makarov's P.O.V

I took a deep breath in, and tried to decide how to break it gently to the guild about their beloved friends' disappearance. I paused to scratch my beard in deep thought. Knowing this guild, they would raise hell, and then they would break things, and broken things meant more bills. Just at the thought of having to pay more money for new furniture for this guild made the blood drain from my face and my palms get sweaty. I just decided to get it over with.

"Our Lucy has decided to go on a small training trip alone for a while." I said loudly so it was heard by all the mages surrounding the bar I was standing on.

"Oi, how small is this trip we're talking about here?" Gray demanded. I sighed, knowing that I couldn't keep it from them. My face turned grim as their full attention was now on me.

"Four years." I said shortly. I watched as their expressions turned from shock to disbelief to sadness, and then back to disbelief.

"WHY WOULD LUCY JUST LEAVE LIKE THAT? SHE CAN'T LEAVE FAIRY TAIL, IT"S HER HOME!" Natsu roared with fire spewing out of his mouth. The others yelled and screamed their agreement and a full out mob soon proceeded.

My eyebrow twitched in anger as I saw a table being broken from Natsu slamming Gray into it. Splinters flew through the air as Gray stood and quickly returned the favor to the fire idiot.

"SHUT UP YOU BRATS!" I bellowed in order to regain their attention. They all froze in their spots to stare wide-eyed in fear at me. I scowled at Natsu who was the only one who hadn't stopped shouting, and slammed an enlarged fist flat onto him with enough force squash him to the floor; therefore, shutting him up.

"She left a letter, and if you want me to read it, I suggest you all keep quiet!" I warned them. They all nodded quickly, so I opened the letter and began to read:

_To my Family at Fairy Tail:_

_I guess you have all figured out that I am gone by the time Mater reads this. I am leaving to train with a friend who offered to teach me to become stronger. I hate feeling helpless in a battle, and having to have you all to protect me, so I will train. I am doing this for all of your sakes, so please don't hunt me down. _

_To Erza-_

_Erza, you are the older sister I never had. You were always there for me and I truly appreciate that. You would always protect me just like family should, and I am forever grateful. Make sure to keep the guild in line, and keep Natsu and Grey from destroying too many towns. I will miss you so much! Good luck with Jellal! _

_To Gray- _

_You are like my destructive brother that I can always count on. You saved me more times than I can count, and I will owe you on when I come back. I will miss you a lot, and make sure to not tear down the guild when fighting Natsu. I wish you the best of luck with a certain water mage (I think we all know what I mean)._

_To Natsu-_

_You are my best friend and my partner that I can always count on I want to say that I will miss you the most out of everyone. You were the one who brought me to my family at Fairy Tail, and who saved me from my father. You have always been there to back me up, and I could never be more grateful. When I come back, I want to see my house in the same condition I left it in. Don't destroy too many towns while I'm gone, there is no need to give Master a heart attack._

_To Happy-_

_I left a bag of fish in my fridge that you can have. I hope that will make up for all the times you have had to carry me around. I will even miss you complaining about my weight and how mean I am. Be good to Charle while I'm gone, and maybe give her one of the fish._

_To Levy-Chan-_

_You have always been trying to get me to write new chapters for my book, and I have finally finished it. I want you to be the first to read it. The finished copy is sitting on my desk at my apartment, and I want you to have it. I will try to write a new book on my adventures where I'm going so I can give you that one too. Good luck with Gajeel!_

_To the Guild- _

_Don't worry about me I should be back in four years, so don't search for me. I will be going somewhere potentially dangerous, but I will be fine. After all, I'm a part of the strongest gild in all of Fiore, and a Fairy Tail member never gives up! Goodbye everyone! I love and will miss you all!_

_-Lucy of Fairy Tail_

By the end of the letter, everyone was sobbing. I saw that the couples Lucy had called out in her letter were blushing scarlet red, and happy was crying so hard he couldn't fly. I looked over at the fire breathing brat, and he was standing stiff like a plank of wood with silent tears running down his face. He had his jaw clinched and he was staring at the ground with fire in his eyes. I recognized that look and I quickly pinned him to the ground again with a huge fist.

"Lucy said not to look for her, and that she would be fine. This was her own choice, so trust in her judgment." I said angrily at Natsu. I lifted my fist slowly off of him and he stood up quickly.

"I want to be alone," was all he said before he stormed out the guilds front doors.

Natsu's P.O.V-

She's gone. She left. Why did she have to leave? That was all that was going through my head as I ran to the one place that made me feel better when I was stressed out. I threw open the door to Lucy's house and slammed it behind me. I walked slowly through her house, my temper calming down as I smelt her scent all over the rooms. Lucy smelt like vanilla and cherry blossoms, and it would always calm me down.

Lucy wasn't weak, besides, she had me to protect her! I know she didn't wanted to have to rely on people constantly, but she didn't have to leave the guild, to leave _me._ I wasn't so stupid that I couldn't realize why I was responding this bad to her disappearance.

I _liked _Lucy. I wanted her by my side so I could protect her. It was in dragon nature to protect the one they cared for, and I just _had_ to realize that I harbored feelings for her after she left. Maybe if I had told her earlier she wouldn't have left in the first place.

All I could do for her while she was gone was pay the rent for her. I would do missions to help the time go by faster, and wait for her return. On that though, I jumped out of her window and made a dead sprint for the guild.

I grabbed the first request I saw, and went to Mira to approve it. Then I was out the door again before anybody could utter a single word to me.

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Fairy Tail, (though I wish I did) I only own my OC's.

**I will upload another chapter in a few days, until then, please review and show your support for my story! Until we meet again, have a good Valentines Day everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I decided to put this chapter out today because of the long weekend. I hope that you like this chapter, because it is extra long. Please review! I would love to have at least 10 reviews on this story, and I really appreciate the people who have liked and followed this story. I won't make you guys give me a certain number of reviews for the next update, and I hope to put the next chapter out soon. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own FT, I only own my OC's and the plot line.**

Chapter 3- Outsmart Your Opponent

Lucy's P.O.V-

I woke up in the morning to sunlight streaming in the windows. I quickly got out of the bed and checked the time. It was 7:30, and I was supposed to be back at the huge school building at 8:00. I quickly ate a piece of buttered toast for breakfast and then put on the clothes Eva had told me to wear. I looked at myself in the mirror, and put my make up on as fast as I could. I stood back and admired my handy work. I looked gorgeous, even in the clothes I was wearing, but of course I would look amazing. I was wearing blue jean shorts because it was warm outside, and I was also wearing some black knee-high lace-up hiking boots. I had on a blue t-shirt, and my hair was up in a high ponytail to keep it out of my face. Lastly, I put on my key belt with all my keys, now including the diamond key, and my whip.

I turned all the lights off and walked out the door. Chloe was walking out at the same time as me, and once she saw me she ran over.

"Hey, Lucy do you know where we have to go?" She asked with a panicked edge to her voice. She was wearing clothes similar to mine, but with shorter boots, and a green t-shirt. I nodded and said, "Yes, we have to meet up at the main building, and we have to be there in about 10 minutes." I had already realized that Chloe was directionally challenged, and I couldn't help but giggle. She smiled and sighed in relief, and we began to walk up the road to the academy together.

The girl I had seen go into the other room came running up, wheezing and gasping for air. She sighed once she had caught her breath and her shoulders sagged in relief.

"I… made… it." She said between pants.

"Did you run all the way up the road?" Chloe asked. We had already walked about a mile and a half out of the long road that led to the school. The girl nodded breathlessly and stood up strait.

"Let me tell you now that I will never, ever, ever run that much again in my life. It was exhausting!" She said exasperatedly. We all laughed and started talking about random things while we walked. The girl with pink streaks in her hair introduced herself as Anna. I learned that both girls had come from this world, and had never been to Earthland before. They had also received dreams to invite them to come, but it had been another person in their dreams instead of Eva. I found it strange that Eva hadn't been the one in their dreams, but instead, a person that liked more like a ghost had visited them. I decided it wasn't important so I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head. We talked and laughed all the way down the road, and once we got to the academy, we stayed close to each other.

Eva met us outside and she told us we had to hike up a few mountains to get where we were going. Anna groaned and began the trek up through a narrow trail through the woods. We would be walking for two days until we got to the edge of the dragons territory. The trail was perilous and unforgiving, and I found myself tripping and falling constantly. The islands were just like the ones in Edolas; they floated in the air. Each island was connected to each other by thinly woven vines, and if we were lucky we would find a small highly dangerous rope bridge only big enough for one person to walk on at a time.

By the end of the first day, I was exhausted and sore all over. The terrain was relentless and Eva kept up a quick pace that was murder on my legs and feet. Chloe, Anna, and I were constantly tripping and falling because of loose rocks and roots that peeked above the ground.

The second day dragged on even slower than the first day, and it was an even harder hike. I was almost in tears by the time we stopped. I had cuts all over my arms and legs from the brambles, and I was covered in bruises from the rocks I slammed into. Twenty people started the hike, but by the end of the second day, there were only ten people still with us. Some had turned around and went back, and others had fallen off the vines or bridges to not be seen again.

The only thing that had kept me going was my friends' encouragement and that I knew none of my Fairy Tail friends would have quit. I flopped down onto the ground and groaned as all my sore muscles protested at the sudden impact. Eva hadn't let me use Horologium to carry me so I had been stuck walking like the rest. My mood hadn't gotten any better during the hike, and now I was in a mood that could rival Erza's worst.

"Alright, listen up everyone!" Eva yelled out. She was completely unaffected by the two long days of walking, climbing, and running. She didn't climb the rope bridge or the vines; instead Night flew her over the islands so she wouldn't fall. "When you wake up in the morning, you will set out into the land of the dragons. You will have to find your dragon out of the thousands that are in the land. Don't worry about being attacked by the other dragons; they won't hurt you unless you threaten them. Any questions?" Eva asked.

"I have one." Stated a tall girl with shiny bronze hair. The girl seemed to be my age and she had forest green eyes that were intelligent just like Eva's were. Eva nodded for her to continue her question. "How will we know what dragon we are meant to be with?"

"Good question. It will try to kill you. You have to prove to your dragon that you are worthy of being bonded to him/her by defeating it in a battle. You can't have your spirits defeat it; it has to be you to prove yourself. If you lose you won't get another chance because you will be dead. Now I will wake you up extra early tomorrow morning. I suggest you get some sleep." She said seriously.

No wonder I had a bad feeling about this. My face was pale and my hands were shaking. I couldn't beat a dragon even if I tried. I was going to die tomorrow. On that happy note, I tried to get my last few hours of sleep before I had to fight for my life.

When I woke up, it was still dark and I was exhausted already. Everyone was just waking up, and getting off the ground where they slept. They were all holding a weapon of some sort, ranging from magical staffs to swords. I hooked my whip Fleuve d'Étoiles, or the River of Stars, onto my belt and combed through my hair with my fingers.

"Just through those trees is the start of the dragons' territory. I wish you all the best of luck in your battles." Eva said. She mounted Night, and flew off in the direction of the academy. Anna, Chloe and I all stuck together as we trudged through the dragon territory. It seemed to go on forever, and I had a feeling that their territory was much bigger than I had originally believed.

I had my whip ready for an attack and the others had their weapons out also. A branch snapped behind me and I wheeled around to be faced with a huge purple dragon with sparkling scales. Chloe turned around too, and as soon as the dragon's eyes landed on her, it charged with dripping razor teeth exposed, and its claws glinting dangerously in the speckles of sunlight visible through the trees.

"Go! This is my fight!" She yelled. Anna and I wished her luck, and then turned and ran quickly away from the sounds of battle. The trees seemed to get bigger and thicker the farther in we went, and I always got the feeling of being watched. We passed some dragons, but they ignored us just like Eva said they would. They seemed unbothered by our presence in their woods. We seemed to run forever until we came across a dragon the color of the clouds. It started stalking forward menacingly towards Anna.

"Go on without me Lucy. I got this." Anna said with a wicked grin on her face. I nodded and said, "Good luck. I'll meet you back at the academy." Her grin just got wider and she began to laugh.

"It's a promise. And a Celestial mage never breaks their promises." She said. I took off through the trees with new determination. I ran for what seemed like hours only keeping time by the pounding of my feet on the soft ground. The trees started thinning out and I could see light up ahead.

I burst out of that horrid forest to be greeted by a large clearing about an acre big. A waterfall trickled down a small pile of rocks and formed a deep pool at the other side of the clearing. It seemed so peaceful here, almost as if time stood still. The grass was soft and green; swaying to the breeze.

The breeze grew to a full out windstorm that whipped the blades of grass back and forth. A steady thud, thud, thud made my eardrums pound with each beat. The thud got louder with each passing second until something hit the ground so hard it shook the whole clearing.

Standing in front of me was a very pissed off looking golden dragon with sky blue eyes that glinted dangerously. If looks could kill... Spikes ran the length of its spine, and its scales reflected the sun making it hard to look at. It growled and displayed a set of teeth more deadly looking than Erza's swords. The dragon was the size of a large horse, and its wingspan was twice its length. It eyed me as if analyzing me for any weaknesses. I looked the dragon up and down, and the more I saw, the odds of me getting out alive dropped. But I had to try to win. I made a promise to come back to my nakama, and I never break a promise.

I pulled out my whip and activated it in preparation for the battle. "I made a promise to get back to my friends safely. I will not let you get in the way of that promise." I said to the golden dragon, knowing full-well that it could understand me. It snorted as if I was no more than a fly in its way. It lunged at me with an open mouth ready to snap me in half. I dodged just in time, almost getting torn in half by its killer mouth.

It glared at me, clearly annoyed that I had dogged its attack. The dragon lunged at me again, and as I tried to dodge, it caught me on the leg with a claw. I felt nothing at first, but when I tried to stand again, I felt a searing pain on my right leg as I tried to stand back up. I was beginning to feel hopeless, and I didn't know what to do. The dragon opened his maw again, but he didn't make a move towards me. I watched in curiosity as I saw a light forming in his open jaws. Then it struck me. Fire. It was about to roast me! I scrambled to my feet; my adrenalin rush was enough to keep the pain at bay for the moment. It all happened so quickly; the blue fire shot out of the creature's maw, and raced in my direction. I froze in place from fear, but when the fire ball was mere feet from me, I regained control over my body and managed to duck down as the fireball passed over my head. I could smell burnt hair, and I had a feeling that the tips of my hair had been scorched off. I was proud that I had managed to dodge the fire, and I proudly smirked at the small victory.

What I wasn't expecting was its tail coming from behind, and sending me painfully flying into a solid tree trunk. The impact knocked the air from my lungs and sent me to my knees gasping for air, but I couldn't lose. I stood up shakily, which only seemed to make it more annoyed. I had to come up with somehow to defeat it, and fast. I noticed that its head moved in the direction that it wanted to go, so if you wanted to control the dragon, you just had to control its head. I waited until it came close enough to get a good shot at it, and then I put my idea to the test.

Just like I had guessed, its head turned towards me with jaws open. I cracked the whip through the air and grabbed hold of its jaws. The magical whip wrapped around its mouth, and firmly clamped it together so it couldn't bite or breathe fire. I swung around using my momentum to soar through the air and land firmly on the golden dragon's back. I pulled the dragons head all the way around to face me so it couldn't move or take off into the air. I looked into its sky blue eyes and said, "I win."

The strangest sensation entered my mind and I could feel the presence of the dragon in my head. I could feel it going through all of my memories and thoughts up until our current battle. It finished going through my head, and I felt the presence come back and stronger this time. 'You can let me go now.' I heard a male voice say in my head. I glared at him suspiciously; he might be planning to attack again.

"How do I know you won't try to hurt me again?"I asked the now identified male dragon.

'I won't' he said simply. 'I promise.' I decided that it was good enough proof for me, so I deactivated my whip. I was covered in scratches from the tree and the scales of the dragon along with splinters all in my back. One of the dragon's claws had caught me on the left shoulder and the gash seemed deep. It was bleeding heavily and would probably leave a scar.

I climbed off his back and stared at him. He made no move to attack me, but he just sat there and watched me curiously. 'I have decided you are worthy to become my rider. You seem to care deeply for your friends, and have overcome many obstacles in your life.' He observed more to himself.

"T-thank you." I said still in shock that I had won. He then lowered his head and touched me right above my heart with his nose. A brilliant yellow light spread from the point where his mussel touched my skin. The light was so blinding that I had to close my eyes to keep from going blind.

Then the horrible pain came. It seemed like every single nerve on my being was set on fire. I writhed on the ground as mu muscles bunched up from the pain. I curled up into a ball and waited for death to greet me. I managed to get a peek at the golden dragon, and it was also in the same pain filled position I was in. He slowly clawed his way over to me, and curled his warm body around mine in a protective way. Black spots began to dance in front of my eyes and my head suddenly felt like it was made of lead. My head crashed to the soft ground, and I knew no more.

I slowly opened my eyes to snap them shut once more. The sunlight was blindingly bright, and I it took me a second for my eyes to adjust. By the looks of it, it was early in the morning. I was lying on the soft, damp grass by the waterfall I had seen earlier. I tried to sit up and groaned as my sore, over tense muscles protested any movement I made. I slowly remembered the events up to when I blacked out and I groaned again. My mouth felt parched and tasted like dirt. I looked over to the waterfall and decided to crawl over to get a drink of water. The cool water was a godsend for my mouth as I greedily gulped down the cool, fresh tasting water.

'Oh good your finally up.' Said an annoyed sounding-but strangely familiar voice inside my mind. I looked around until I saw the golden dragon swoop down into the clearing. 'We've been out cold for two days. I woke up and asked another one of the other dragons the time.' I nodded, the movement causing me to wince. I looked down into the water and saw my reflection. I had twigs, leaves and mud all in my hair, and I had four deep claw marks across my abdomen. What caught my eyes however, was a mark on my right shoulder. It was a burn mark in the shape of a flying dragon. My clothes had been almost completely destroyed during the fight and barely left anything to the imagination.

The cut on my left shoulder had been reopened when I had moved, and was now leaving small trails of blood down my arm. The dragon looked at me and then to the bleeding gash on my arm. 'Are you ok? Sorry about that by the way.' He said referring to my arm. I smiled at him and said, "No its fine, I forgive you. By the way do you have a name?" He shook his head.

'No I don't have a name; it's the rider's job to give us dragons' names. Just keep in mind that if you give me a crappy name, I will eat you.' I thought about it for a second, taking in all his characteristics. He looked scared to know the name I would give him. He was obviously gold with blue eyes, and he had long spikes on his back. He had a huge mouth with teeth more terrifying than Erza's swords, and on his feet were large hook shaped talons. Hmm….. Talon… I think that name sounds pretty good. He relaxed visibly and said, 'I like Talon… it sounds like a good name. And you don't know you can talk with me in your head? You don't have to speak out loud the whole time.' He said as if talking to a child. I chose to ignore his tone and take his advice. Damn arrogant dragon.

'So what was all that pain we had to go through? Was that the bonding process?' I asked Talon.

'That pain was our souls being split in half. We each have a part of each others' soul mixed in with our own, so technically you are now half dragon. We are bonded as partners for life, and we share a mental link, which means we can talk back and forth through our minds.' All of this was cool, but I could say goodbye to the little privacy I got. Oh well, It _was_ pretty cool… Talon just rolled his eyes.

'We should probably hurry if you want to live another day.' He scowled and then continued, 'You will pass out from blood loss soon. Climb onto my back and I can fly you out of here.'

I nodded and stood up slowly. My knees almost gave out, but Talon was able to catch me with his tail before I fell flat on my face. I realized that the dragons personality was going to be a handful; arrogant and prideful. He loved fighting and making a big scene from what I had gathered from flashes of his memory, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

Once I was on his back, he took off into the air. I gave him the general direction of the academy and he turned to fly that way. His back was warm and smooth, and he had a spot right between his wings with no spikes. I lied down and fell asleep to the steady beat of his wings and rocking motion of the flight.

I woke up right before we landed and I prepared myself for the impact. As we neared the ground, I saw Eva and the others waiting on us to land. Talon landed softly as possible, and with a dull thud, we were back on the ground. As soon as I slid off his back, my knees buckled and I would have fallen if it hadn't had been for a pair of arms steadying me.

"Lucy, are you all right?" Chloe asked the concern evident in her voice.

"What happened to you? It looks like you went to hell and back!" Anna barked in laughter. I scowled at her, the full potency of my famous glare being released.

"It's not like you look much better." I grumbled. She laughed and then smiled at me, almost completely unaffected by the harsh stare she was receiving. We had all managed to survive from the attacks, but from the looks of all the bandages and gauze wrapped around their bodies, it hadn't been easy for either.

"Come on, we have to get her to the infirmary so she can get all cleaned up. Talon if you want to come inside to look after her, you can. We need to hurry because your training will start as soon as you're healed." Eva ordered. She had Anna and Chloe support me as we walked to the medical wing. All I could think was that this was going to be a long 4 years.

Eva led us to a large, open hallway that had a view of the courtyard. Glass made up the entire right wall and the left wall was lined with doors and other hallways. Eva stopped and turned towards a large door at the end of the ridiculously large hallway. On the door written in large golden letters is the word: INFIRMARY. The dark haired dragon rider threw the doors open and quickly ran into the room. Anna, Chloe and I followed more slowly through the doors.

The infirmary was very neat and organized; beds lined the wall and curtain dividers for each bed. There were a few occupied beds, but I couldn't see the occupants because their dividers were pulled shut. A small, plump woman with graying hair and weary hazel eyes was running about the room at speed that stunned me. She looked up from carrying some bottles of medicine, and jumped when she saw us. Her eyes fell on Eva first, but soon found their way to my bruised and badly bleeding form.

My wounds had reopened with all the moving I had done, and were now steadily oozing crimson blood. From the face the plump woman was making, I looked horrible. She took my appearance in with one sweeping stare, and put the bottles of unknown medications down on a spare bed.

"Hurry and put her on this bed." The woman gestured over to a spare bed in the corner closest to us. Once I was comfortably lying on the bed, the white haired nurse came up and examined my wounds. She tsked, and hurried off into another room.

When she came back, she was holding bandages and a damp washcloth. She said nothing as she worked on thoroughly cleaning my wounds. I had to bite my lip to keep from yelling out in pain as the woman dabbed at my wounds. When each one was clean, she picked up the bandage and gently dressed each one.

I looked down to examine her handiwork, and saw that I now closely resembled a mummy. I looked up and smiled at the plump woman.

"Thank-you…"

"Millie." The woman answered with a kind, and motherly smile. I returned the smile and nodded my head in thanks.

"Thank-you, Millie-sama." I said.

"Please just call me Millie, dear." My smile grew and I nodded happily, I knew I would like the kind old nurse. Eva cleared her throat, and stood up from the stool she was sitting on.

"Her majesty wishes to speak with each of you. If you will come with me, I will take you to her." Eva said with a smile on.

"Her majesty?" I echoed.

"The queen of this country. She is from Earthland too! You might have known her!" Chloe said to clear up my confusion. I nodded my head and followed the three out of the infirmary after saying goodbye to Millie. Eva, Chloe, and Anna walked quickly down the winding corridors, and I stumbled and limped slowly behind. A thought crossed my mind, and I decided to voice it, "Why is the queen here at Flyte Academy?"

"She also has a dragon, and also, Flyte doubles as her palace-hence why it's so big." Eva answered. We walked down a few more massive hallways and up some flights of stairs until we reached a pair of grand doors. The dark haired rider knocked on the door three times, and then walked in after hearing a faint, "Come in."

Eva pushed through the doors, and we followed her into the room. The room was spacious, and grand with marble flooring and a high ceiling-apparently common for this school. My eyes trailed to the thrones at the far side of the room. There were two side-by-side thrones up a small flight of three steps. The chairs were padded in red velvet, and gold lined the outer rim of the fancy chairs- your stereotypical throne room.

My eyes then focused on the occupant of the chairs. Only one chair was occupied, the person was sitting on the left and most grand chair. The figure was partially see-through, and more ghost like than human. As I met the eyes of the sole person on the chairs, I sucked in a shaky breath. Blond hair and warm brown eyes that were not unlike my own stared back at me, matching my surprised look. A white and gold floor length dress made the woman look regal, and beautiful, she looked like she was ready for a ball. There was only one person who I knew could that fit that description. I uttered one word, and by the way her eyes widened in recognition, I knew that she was really here.

"Mother…."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Have You Missed Me?

* * *

Lucy's P.O.V

The ghostly figure of my late mother sat before me on a grand throne of gold and velvet. She stood and walked soundlessly before us. I looked around and realized that my friends were kneeling down with their heads bowed in a sign of respect. I quickly followed; dropping to one knee and also bowing my head, leaving my neck exposed in the same fashion as the others were. Silent tears made their way in narrow trails down my face at the shock of finding the woman I never thought to see again. The very same woman who had died before my very eyes, was here and standing before me.

"Please rise, you know I hate it when people bow before me as if I am their master." Her voice was soft and smooth and kind; just like it was before she died. I shakily rose to my feet, my watery eyes taking in the woman before me. She had the same warm brown eyes and soft looking blonde hair as she did from so many years ago. She smiled softly at me ant held out her ghostly hands in a welcoming way.

I rushed into her arms, but instead of being met by a pair of arms, I just went right through her. Her translucent body shimmered slightly, where I passed through, and it rippled like a pond.

"H-how…. Why... I t-thought-" She shushed me and stood behind me until my sobbing turned into small sniffles.

"My body has died, but my soul lives on in this form." She explained. I looked at her, confusion evident on my face. My mother sighed softly, and continued to explain, "My dragon committed the ultimate sacrifice for me; she died so I could continue to govern this country. She sacrificed her soul once it became obvious that I was dying." She looked down sadly with a forlorn look on her face.

"B-but I thought you lived on Earthland? And are you a ghost?" I was seriously becoming confused the more she talked. This time Eva stepped forward and answered, "She did, but she came back and forth between worlds, her dragon, Rose, stayed in this world to make sure things ran properly while Queen Layla was gone. Her Majesty is, in fact a ghost."

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US YOU WERE RELATED TO THE QEEN?" Chloe and Anna screeched at the same time. Their voiced echoed off the walls and intensified tenfold. I winced and shook my head to rid it of the ringing in my ears. I glared at them and yelled back with just as much intensity as them, "BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW EITHER!" my mom just laughed and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Come, we have much catching up and explaining to do, and your training also starts soon. Why don't you all go get some rest, and then we can talk once you are all rested?" The three of us nodded and made our way back to the hotels where we stayed before the journey started.

**~Time Skip: 2 Years~**

Natsu's P.O.V

It had been two years since Lucy had left, and the guild was slowly recovering. Whenever Luce's name was mentioned, or blonde, or Stellar Spirit, or Celestial mage the guild would go silent. Mira, Wendy, Levy and Happy would start crying; Elfman wouldn't say anything about being a 'man,' Erza would stop eating her cake, Cana would stop drinking, and the guild would get all gloomy. After about a month of her being missing, I realized how much we all needed her; she was the spirit and soul of the guild, and she always brightened up the place.

I would go to her apartment and just sit on Luce's bed when I wasn't doing a mission. Her scent had long faded from the house, but it still made me feel calm when I was there. I hardly went to the guild anymore because of all the missions I have been doing to keep occupied. I made it my personal goal to pay her rent every month, and the missions helped me keep my mind off of her.

I had realized my feelings for her were more than a nakama. All it took for me to realize was for her to leave on a fucking four year training trip because she felt weak and useless. I was no good with love, (which had been pointed out by Mira on countless occasions).

Igneel had told me that a dragon only ever falls in love once; they will treasure the smell, sound, and touch of that one person above anyone else. I used to believe that the person who was meant for was Lisanna, but that had just been a small childhood crush. Lisanna was more of a sister than anything to me. It explained why I always wanted to sleep in her bed, and why I wouldn't get motion sick when she would let me lay on her lap. I missed it when she would stroke my hair to lull me into sleep, and then ignore the fact that I was drooling on her when we went on trains. I missed how she would always stand up for her nakama, and how she would help us gain our confidence back during a big fight.

All I could do was wait for her to come back, but that's hard when you have no damned patience. Whatsoever. I had almost lost hope that she would come back, and that if she did, that her heart wouldn't already belong to someone else. The stress was eating away at my nerves, and I had become very short tempered without Luce to calm me down. I was constantly fighting with that asshole-ice freak also known as Gray.

Happy couples were popping up in the guild; gray had given into Juvia's constant fawning, Jellal had come to join the guild and be with Erza, Levy and Gajeel had gotten together, Romeo and Wendy had started going out about a week back, and even Happy had gotten Charle to accept him. I truly was stupid to not have realized my feelings earlier, and according to Mira, I was as dense as a block of wood. Or worse.

She said we were her family, and then she left all of us. I had already lost Lisanna once, and now Lucy left me to go who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. She didn't have to be strong; I was there to be strong for her. I don't know if my already dwindling self control can last until she comes back. These next two years are going to be life in pure hell without her here beside me.

Lucy's P.O.V

I was learning so much from training under Eva! Energy Bending magic was confusing to understand, but it was extremely powerful. You could basically turn your own energy into your greatest weapon. For instance; you can create a force field by picturing a bubble of energy around the desired object, and then a sphere of energy would surround the object with energy and protect it from attacks. This was of course extremely tiring because you use your own energy for it. I could also levitate and do spells by using energy to push myself through the air, and for spells I would put energy into words to give them power. Today was the day of the week we practiced hand to hand combat, but on other days we would practice our magic, work on fighting while on a dragon, and also spells.

The training we went through was insane! When I was learning to levitate, Eva pushed me off a cliff and expected me to know what to do after only five minutes of instruction! When I was learning to make an energy shield around my body to guard against attacks; she got Night to throw boulders at me, and then she expected me to get away without a single scratch!

Even though the training was horrible, it was fun training with Anna and her dragon, Cloud, and Chloe with her dragon, Aurora. They both hang out at my house a lot, so much that they almost live there! We train together and do chores together; we also fly together on our free days.

My house is only about twenty miles from the town, and only ten miles from the academy. It's mostly underground; the only part visible is a small log cabin. When you walk into the cabin, there is a platform that takes you into the actual house. The cabin sits in a large clearing that is good for taking off and landing. My house sits on one of the floating islands, or what the villagers call the Sky Mountains. The name suites the flying pieces of land very well, and at first glance, that is what the islands appear to be. A floating mountain range. My island floats high off the ground; high enough that it isn't visible from the mainland. My friends' houses are close to mine, and are also located on the islands in the air.

The inside of my house is very modern, with a huge living room and a TV right above the fireplace. Otherworld is more technologically advanced than Earthland because some of the people here learned how to manipulate electricity instead of using magic. There are windmills on the island that generate the electricity, and since the island is so high, wind is plentiful.

The living room has four couches facing the TV and a coffee table in front of them. The kitchen is off to the side with all new appliances, and stocked with plenty of food (enough to last Natsu at least 2 months if that says anything). There is a dining room connected to the kitchen with a large mahogany table that seats up to 12 people. If you go down a hallway, you find the library; a room filled with tall bookshelves filled with books, and comfy reading chairs spread out across the cozy room.

Another platform takes you down to the bedrooms and an entertainment room. My room is large with a queen sized bed. The bed is wooden with a golden comforter and fluffy pillows. The room is painted white, and there is a walk-in closet on the wall opposite the master bath. A wrought-iron spiral staircase leads up to a small library/study. The master bath is the best thing of all; it has a bathtub the size of a small pool with jets that help relax sore muscles after a long training session.

I have plenty of guest rooms for when my friends come over, enough for quite a few people. My house is small compared to Anna's house however. Hers is underground and aboveground, and it is about 4 stories tall. Chloe's house; however, is made up of a bunch of tree houses that stretch over the forest, and are connected by rope bridges and wooden pathways.

My mother helped me buy the island, and Virgo helped me carve the house out from the ground. My other spirits pitched in by helping me clear a spot for landing and taking off, and a spot for the cabin. Talon helped me with setting up the windmills and moving boulders from the house and the clearing. It took a lot of hard work ant time to make the final product, and it used up most of my magical energy to build. I was thankful for all the help from the townspeople with the furniture, also.

Even though I have good friends here and a huge house, I still miss my Fairy Tail friends. I have left my heart with them, especially with a certain pink-haired fire mage. I miss his fiery personality, his motion sickness, and even when he shows up at random times to sleep in my bed. As soon as I get the chance, I will go see my family at Fairy Tail.

~Time skip: 2 years~

I was sitting in the academy's library reading about magical beasts of the past, randomly flipping through pages until I found something interesting. Chloe was sitting beside me reading a book on romance, and Anna was as usual, messing with her phone and refusing to read anything. Anna was attached to her phone like her life depended on it, and she absolutely goes ballistic when she loses it.

Cloud was sitting beside Anna, and was looking just as bored as his rider was. Aurora was looking over Chloe's shoulder as she read the book along with her, both of them completely engrossed in the words. Talon was behind me complaining loudly in my mind how we never did anything even mildly exciting. He just became even more annoyed when he realized that I had blocked him out and was reading my book without even bothering to acknowledge him.

I had become used to his attitude and it was easy to block him out if I wanted to. He huffed and began to mentally yell at me. I winced from the volume of his voice, but other than that, was able to ignore his persistent bothering by focusing intensely on the pages of my book. Seeing this, he continued to increase his mental voice from 'loud' to 'super loud'. I finally slammed the book closed and glared at the pest behind me. He gave a dragon smirk at his victory, and proceeded to whine.

'I want to do something. It's been forever since we did anything exciting. I want to get to push you off a cliff again… or something along the lines of that!' He complained. He amused himself with throwing me off high places or almost crushing me with falling boulders just to have some entertainment. He hated it when he had to sit still and do nothing for more than five minutes, and his attention span was worse than a squirrels'.

'Oh you enjoyed that, did you?' I said sarcastically through the link. Talon beamed again and nodded his head, choosing to ignore my heated glare.

'Can we do it again? Your face when you fell off was priceless!' He chuckled as the memory flashed through his head.

'No.' I answered bluntly.

'But-' He started.

'_N.O.'_ I said each letter as if it were a word. He glared at me for ruining his fun, and then he flopped back down onto the floor with a dull thump. Anna looked up from her phone at the noise, and raised an eyebrow in question. I just shook my head at her, and she continued to mess with her phone. They were used to talon's strange attitude by now, so they didn't even question his actions anymore. He was just that bad.

Eva came in and walked over to us with Night following closely behind. She took one look at Talon and just shook her head, most likely recognizing the pout on his face. Eva cleared her throat to get the attention of Anna and Chloe, who were unaware of her entrance. They looked up each having to tear their eyes away from their object of interest.

"I have some important information to share with you," we were all listening now, "I have taught you all I know on the art of Energy Bending, and you have officially survived my training." Eva cheered happily. We all let out a whop and began to hug Eva merrily. I can go back to the guild now!

"Where will you all go?" Eva asked curiously. Anna looked at her and shrugged in reply, and Chloe only said a simple, "I don't know…"

"I'm going back to my guild on Earthland." I said.

"That guild, Fairy Tail, that you never stop talking about?" Anna asked. I blushed at the last part, but nodded anyways.

"Y-yes, that's the one." I stuttered in embarrassment. Anna nodded her head, and then with a determined look on her face she declared, "I'm coming to. I have nothing better to do with my life at the moment, and I'm interested about the people in this guild." _Thanks for asking first!_ I thought to myself. A deep rumbling laugh off to my right let me know that Talon had heard my thoughts.

"I would like to come too, if that's not too much of a problem." Chloe said politely. I sighed in a defeated way, and mumbled a weak, "Sure," in reply.

"I might even decide to join the guild too. It's not like I have a family to return to." Anna said bitterly. Both she and Chloe had parents that had died, like me, and knew the pain of losing someone dear to you. We all shared a common sadness at the death of our parents, and that's how we became such close friends. Chloe nodded her head in excitement, and asked what time I was planning to leave.

"Tomorrow morning if it's possible, it will take a while to pack and walk to Magnolia. I don't want them getting suspicious of six magical signatures of large proportions just showing up in the middle of the city." I explained. Anna nodded seriously, and began to stroke her imaginary beard in thought.

"So we will leave to pack now, and meet up at your house around, say 10 in the morning?" Chloe questioned.

"Sounds good to me!" Anna said enthusiastically, but then added, "Can we meet up around twelve instead? I hate waking up early."

"Sure, I guess. Just come to my house at twelve and we can leave." We all smiled at each other and parted to go our different ways. Eva smiled at me with her white teeth showing, and waved at me as I walked out into the large hallway. The frigid air made me pull my jacket closer to my body. Talon crouched down to allow me to mount his back, and I pulled myself up with practiced ease. I sat in the hand-made leather saddle that rested in the space right in front of his wings.

The saddle was made of soft leather that made flying long distances bearable, and was held in place by a thick leather girth that strapped around his stomach. My legs were held in place by thin leather straps around my ankles and knees that were tied in slip-knots. The raised front of the saddle made it easy to hold on when doing tricky or dangerous aerial maneuvers.

Once I was strapped in and ready to go, talon took off, and in one fluid motion we were climbing higher above the academy. With each stroke of his powerful wings, we flew along at a pace I once thought unachievable. Talon roared in delight at getting to stretch his cramped wings, and he wasted no time in going into a tight corkscrew followed by a loop.

"Taaaalooon!" I screeched at the sudden change; my voice going a few octaves to high. He laughed through the link and continued to do acrobatics in the sky. I just gave up trying to control the two-ton flying lizard, and just let my body flow with his movements. Flying was my getaway from all the pressures of training and being an heir to the throne; a place where I was weightless. I slowly let all my muscles relax and go into the familiar pattern of flying through the air at an incredible speed. Polar air buffeted my face from all directions causing me to shiver. My island came into view, and he began to level out in preparation to land. My log cabin came into view, and he swooped down to land gracefully on the strip of flat land beside it.

I quickly pulled at the knots and released my legs from their bindings on the saddle. I hit the ground and swayed slightly, so I stabilized myself by holding onto one of his spikes that ran down his spine. Talon and I walked up to the large door and unlocked it. He walked through; the door was made large enough to accommodate a fully grown dragon. Talon had grown to be twice the size of when I found him, and he was now almost too big to fit through the door. I stepped onto the platform, and pressed the button for it to take us down. We descended slowly through the tunnel, and it came to a stop at the bottom.

I stepped off and walked over to the kitchen. I pulled open the door to my 'cold room' as I called it, to get Talon some meat. I called it a cool room because a regular fridge wouldn't hold enough food for a dragon, so I got the cool room. I walked in and went over to the meat rows. I pulled out a decently sized piece of meat and closed the door to my giant fridge. Talon looked at the piece of frozen food and licked his lips. I tossed it up into the air, and he shot a jet of flame to quickly bake it. The piece of meat fell into his waiting jaws, and he swallowed it whole.

You ask how I got all the money for the food and cool room? I did small jobs for people, and in return they would pay me for my work. The jobs usually consisted of moving something large to another place, or retrieving some stolen good. I helped enough people to be able to pay for the furniture and appliances in my house, as well.

I didn't need to pack any clothes because I was taught how to re-quip by Eva. Even though I was nowhere near as good as Erza was, I was still good enough to be able to re-quip my keys and clothes into what I desired. I cleaned the house and prepared a dinner for myself and Talon. I sometimes got dragon-like cravings, and tonight was one of those nights, so I warmed up a steak that I had smoked only days before.

'So, are you going to stay here or go fly off tonight?' I asked Talon curiously. He bobbed his head and lied down beside me, and wrapped his long, slender neck around to rest beside his closed wings.

'I guess I'll stay here tonight since your leaving early. Can I have some of that?' He gestured towards the steak I was pulling out of the microwave. I was surprised that he was coming; I thought he would stay here. Instead of questioning him I just shrugged in a dismissive way. I learned not to ask awhile back. I tossed him half my piece of steak, and he devoured it whole. He licked his lips and followed me down to my bedroom to sleep for the night.

* * *

I walked down the crowded streets of Magnolia, my dark hood flowing behind me while I walked. Apparently, Magnolia had the opposite season Otherworld was having at the moment, so I was dying of heat stroke under my thick winter coat, and wool lined hood. A single line of sweat trailed from my hairline down the side of my face and disappeared at my collar. Chloe was panting lightly and beginning to trail slightly behind, and Anna was complaining loudly to us through her mind. I wished more than anything at the moment to discard of the clothes that weighed me down, but I didn't want to be recognized yet, and I couldn't perform magic because I would be sensed too soon. So I suffered in the sweltering heat.

I heard the guild before I saw it. The sound of yelling, breaking furniture, and glass shattering could be heard from a block away. The building hadn't changed much since I was last here; it still had the large wooden doors and the same sign set the building apart from the others in the small town. I didn't have to turn around to realize my friends were in shock of the guild I call home. I snickered when I felt their confused gazes on my back. Wait until they meet my guild mates.

I rested a hand on the door; my hand with the guild symbol on it was covered with a leather glove. I looked behind me and looked into the hoods of their cloaks. Even though I couldn't see their faces, I could tell they were nervous by the way their shoulders tensed slightly.

"Are you ready?" My voice calm and relaxed. Anna shrugged in an attempt to hide her nervousness, and Chloe just nodded. My voice and posture revealed none of my nervous feelings, and as I had been taught, I took deep, slow breaths to calm my franticly beating heart. I turned back around, and with a deep breath, I pushed the heavy doors back to reveal the state of the guild behind the doors. Chairs were being thrown and tabled were smashed as people unlucky enough to be caught by the fight going on were thrown into. Mira sat behind the bar smiling obliviously at the large fight going on. Levy sat in the corner of the guild reading a book with her blue hair pulled back from her face by a bandanna. Out of all the yelling going on, two voices stood out the most.

"Watch it, ice princess!"

"Shut it, flame brain!"

"Popsicle!"

"Fire breath!"

"Stripper!"

"Squinty eyes!"

"Droopy eyes!"

I immediately recognized the two voices, and a second later, they became visible through the commotion. Natsu and Gray stood in fighting stances, and prepared for their attacks. I walked slowly through the middle of the guild, and also right through the middle of the fight. Chloe and Anna flanked my sides, and we made our way to the bar. The fight slowly died down as our presence was noticed by the guild. Natsu and Gray froze in mid attack, and looked our way.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu growled. His voice had become ever so slightly deeper, and he had gotten taller over my absence. His hair was still pink, but it had also gotten slightly longer.

"Pink…" Chloe trailed off. Her voice was no more than a whisper, but his head snapped up and he looked at her.

"Hair…" Anna finished her friend's statement. Natsu was glaring at us now, fully prepared to defend his hair.

"It's salmon!" Natsu growled out defensively. I tried not to laugh, but in the end a small laugh escaped. I could practically see my friends faces as they tried hard, and miserably failed I might add, to keep themselves from going into a fit of laughter. Natsu pouted at our reactions to his hair, and he settled for glaring at us. A fast movement caught my eye, and I looked down to find the tip of a wickedly sharp sword pointing at my throat. I only knew one person to own a sword like that in the guild, and I smiled as I recognized the requip mage. The scarlet hair was a dead giveaway, and I looked up at the dark brown eyes of one of my friends, Erza Scarlet.

"The sword won't be necessary." I said with a friendly tone. Erza's eyes widened by a fraction of an inch, and she lowered her sword tip slightly.

"Who are you?" Erza commanded.

"Did you miss me?" I asked as I slowly pulled the hood off my head.

* * *

**I'm back! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I haven't had the time to write recently because of school and homework and stuff. I hope that you like it though, and I will apologize for the cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist! I know, I'm evil, but you can kill me later. Just because of the cliff hanger, I will update sooner.**

**I just wanted to put this out here because I'm going to the beach with my youth group for something called Festival by the Sea, and I don't know if I will be able to write much this weekend. I hope you like it so far! Review and follow, I love to know how my writing is so far, so don't be shy. How was it? Horrible? Ok? Wonderful?**

**Have a good rest of the week!**


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